EXOCETUS MARINE

DIX 470

The Dix 470 cruising catamaran is a smaller sister to the DH550, which has shown itself to be a beautiful boat.

Construction is a development of the radius chine plywood concepts that Dudley has drawn since the early 1990’s. These concepts started with the monohull Didi 38 “Black Cat”, which he built to test the construction method then sailed across the South Atlantic three times. Since then he has developed other performance oriented monohull designs of similar concept, from 21 to 42ft LOA. Hundreds of boats to this method are in build or sailing worldwide.

As successful as the radius chine plywood monohull designs have been, the DH550 project showed that this construction method is even better for catamaran hulls than it is for monohulls. The hulls of Phil Harvey's DH550 were quick to build and are fair and pretty to look at.

This is a big and powerful boat and it is intended for cruising the oceans of the world. To take on that role, it has 1m (39") bridgedeck clearance to minimize slamming in big seas. The hull/bridgedeck junction has received particular attention to ensure that the loads imposed by rig and ocean are properly transmitted and shared between them. Carbon composite chainplates are laminated to the inside and outside of the hull and spread the rigging loads down into the hull skin, longitudinals and bulkheads. The mast stands on top of a major transverse bulkhead that is configured as an I-beam to spread the compression load laterally into the hulls and is tied into longitudinal bulkheads that spread the load fore/aft into the bridgedeck structure.

The interior arrangement is modelled around 2 cabins in each hull, sharing a common heads/shower area that separates them for privacy. That makes this boat suitable for 4-couple bare-boat charter work. A owners cabin variant is also available with the port hull modelled around a single cabin with large shower and storage areas.

Bridgedeck accommodation is spacious, with separate galley, steering, navigation, dining and relaxation areas. Forward of the bridgedeck accommodation is a small forward working cockpit that gives access to the base of the mast and all control lines. Aft there is a large relaxation cockpit protected by the roof overhang, with easy access to transom steps down to swim/boarding platforms and a full-width aft bridgedeck platform.

The underbody is clean and easily-driven, with long waterline for high performance. A vertical daggerboard in each hull gives windward ability along with the ability to enter shallow water. The shaft-mounted rudders extend to below the propellers to protect them from damage..

The rig has an aluminium mast with double diamonds to keep it straight. It is held by upper and lower single shrouds that are angled well aft and also have running backstays to properly support it in all wind directions. Headsails are sheeted to the forward bridgedeck and the mainsail is sheeted to the cabin roof over the aft bulkhead.

Much of the DH550 has been incorporated into the Dix 470 by scaling down the length and beam, while maintaining the height. Hull beam is unchanged to retain the spacious hull accommodation, with the beam reductions being in the bridgedeck